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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

... positively influence young Sailors' behavior through resources and tools that promote good decision making.

I don't know about you, but I think "Chief."

If we want to "empower the Chiefs" and to "raise the bar" in bringing junior Sailors up to standards - then why do we create entities like this? What message does it send to our Chiefs?

CSAAD is a peer mentoring program for active and reserve Sailors, Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) candidates, and Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) cadets aimed at promoting good decision-making and leadership development at the most junior levels....Monthly training is conducted at the nearly 300 chapters of CSADD fleet-wide; topics vary each month and provide a forum for Sailors to discuss important issues and create new methods for helping their fellow Sailors. In addition to promoting healthy life choices, the program also develops members' leadership skills....Though originally envisioned as a response to frequent DUI cases in the mid-Atlantic region, the CSADD program quickly expanded to encompass a variety of issues and has spread across the fleet worldwide. Today, it is a peer-mentoring program for all aspects of life in which Sailors face pressures or temptations to make unwise decisions."CSADD is all about I.C.E. - Inspirational Leadership, Challenging our young Sailors to engage, and Empowering them to lead," said Benning. "Our Sailors have strong opinions - and solutions - for many of the challenges facing our Navy."

This may sound a little harsh - but MADD, SADD, and now CSADD all have the same lineage. MADD, early on - did do some good in moving the national conversation - but for our Navy; why CSADD?

What are their measures of effectiveness? Is it a mutual admiration society, does it actually able to move the needle, or are they simply the Red Guards of the busy body, self-important cultural revolutionists intent on telling everyone how bad they are because they don't care as much as they do? Do they have a little Red Book to hand out and wave - or are they sticking with handouts, posters, and tri-folds?

OK, that was a bit mean - but I'm sorry. This just looks like another in a long line of well meaning, feel good money sponges that do nothing but make those running it feel better about themselves. In the process, it also degrades the special charter we give our Chiefs to make sure our Sailors are what they need to be. Take that away from the Chiefs, and you just have a bunch of E-7s and above.

Instead of getting grumpy though (you can get the high res here) - let's have a caption contest. Look at those faces! What is with all the lip biting? Bill Clinton look alike competition?Lots of material.

120523-N-IE405-050NORFOLK (May 23, 2012) Chief of Naval Personnel and Navy Total Force Fleet Master Chief Scott Benning, left, presents the 2011 Coalition of Sailors Against Destructive Decisions (CSADD) award to the CSADD chapter members from the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) during a CSADD rally at Naval Station Norfolk. The rally is part of a two-day event to promote CSADD, a peer-to-peer mentoring group to positively influence young Sailors' behavior through resources and tools that promote good decision making. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Indra Bosko/Released)

The collective Mess is doing an outstanding jod today.Today we are a force that is undermaned and yet over maned at the same time, we face unique problems. We cope by training & equiping the junior Sailors. By supporting THEM and their efforts thtough CSADD we train and prepar them for the future.... Long gone are the days where the old salts watched and wated until a mistake was made until wisdom was imparted.... We now impart early and often. This ensures we produce quality leaders through THEIR practice and our mintorship!

The collective Mess is doing an outstanding jod today.Today we are a force that is undermaned and yet over maned at the same time, we face unique problems. We cope by training & equiping the junior Sailors. By supporting THEM and their efforts thtough CSADD we train and prepar them for the future.... Long gone are the days where the old salts watched and wated until a mistake was made until wisdom was imparted.... We now impart early and often. This ensures we produce quality leaders through THEIR practice and our mintorship!

The collective Mess is doing an outstanding jod today.Today we are a force that is undermaned and yet over maned at the same time, we face unique problems. We cope by training & equiping the junior Sailors. By supporting THEM and their efforts thtough CSADD we train and prepar them for the future.... Long gone are the days where the old salts watched and wated until a mistake was made until wisdom was imparted.... We now impart early and often. This ensures we produce quality leaders through THEIR practice and our mintorship!